


Bring Back What Once Was Mine

by ThatVermilionFlyCatcher



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU post 6x09, Chipped Cup, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Wishing Well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 13:19:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10617708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatVermilionFlyCatcher/pseuds/ThatVermilionFlyCatcher
Summary: Post 6x09 AU. Mr. Gold and Belle have a much needed talk and a new threat is placed upon Storybrooke and its inhabitants. Is there any way to save everybody from a horrible fate? A bit of angst but mostly fluff. The chipped cup, the wishing well, roses and a dance in the middle of the street.





	1. Musings

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction. As English is not my mother language, any comments and corrections are welcome. I uploaded it by the first time on fanficton net some days ago.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it, and leave some words to tell me how you liked it!
> 
> Thanks!

_I will never hurt you… never hurt you… never hurt you..._ Belle just couldn't take those words off her mind, even though many days have passed since the last time she saw Rumplestiltskin. Why did he said that? Didn't he know that he had hurt her in manyfold ways before? How could he think she would believe that? But somehow she knew he meant what he said; after all, he had nothing to win if she believed him. Maybe he never noticed how hard the things he had done had harmed her, she thought.

Since that fateful day at the fairies' convent, she hadn't seen Gold in Storybrooke again. In fact, nobody had. Everybody was afraid of how would he react if they showed up at his shop, which has been closed since, even when they knew for certain that he was in there. They would have been surprised if they knew that he wasn't looking for a way to find his son this time. In fact, he was spending his time thinking about how he had lost each and every one of those he had loved. He loathed himself for it, but somehow, he didn't want to give up on life. It would be better said that he wanted to be dead but knew that it would not make things better. He was miserable, because he couldn't figure out how to make things work right. He pondered about himself... and Belle... and Baelfire… spinning didn't help he forget; it made him remember more vividly, and for a change, he wanted to remember. He wanted to go back to the time when there was hope for him to become a better man. He cried over his spinning wheel recalling how a tiny sprout of hope blossomed in his heart when Belle tried to kiss him by the first time; recalling when he thought that she was dead; recalling all the good times they had together.

 _She won't hear me. I was mistaken, but I always tried to do my best. She gave our son over to the Blue Fairy just because she was told in a dream that I would destroy her and him. How could she believe that? After all I had done to find Baelfire! But she wouldn't listen. I deserve it, I acknowledge that. I was a chipped cup… I could have been repaired. Now, look at me. I'm cup dust_. A not so distant memory changed his train of thought: _I was a hero once. I broke that chipped cup I treasured because of her, because she needed me. Why didn't that work for us then?_  Absentmindedly, he left the shop and headed to the woods out of the town.

Belle was immersed in her thoughts and drinking a glass of iced tea at granny's when the dark figure of Mr. Gold crossing the street awakened her from her dreamy state. _He's up to something! I won't let him find our son! Not after all that I have sacrificed for him!_  In the back of her mind though, the idea of following him and finding her son, to have the chance of holding him in her arms, even if only for a second, was tempting. After all, if she couldn't stop her husband, she would at least benefit from it. With these thoughts in her mind, she left the diner and followed Mr. Gold, trying not to be seen by him. She discovered soon that he didn't care if someone followed him or not, and that surprised her. Now she was intrigued; if he were looking for Gideon, he would be far more careful. But then, if he was not, where was he going and why?

She followed him across the town and out to the woods. When they reached a clear, he stopped, and turning around, asked:

"Why are you following me, Belle?"

She wanted to answer, but no words came to her mind.

"You know something? you are a mystery for me. I never could understand you".

The clear in which they stood showed signals of having been inhabited not long before. She could see the remnants of a tent, some stones disposed as if to set a fire, and a dirty, broken stool.

"You know… you have brought so much joy to my life… but so much pain too."

He wasn't looking at her: his eyes were sweeping the ground, looking for something. Belle opened her mouth, but he added, raising his voice:

"Don't interrupt me!"

He sighed and gesturing with his hand added in a calmer tone:

"Please. I'm not asking you to actually listen to me. I know I don't deserve it. If you don't want to, you can go. However, since I didn't ask you to come with me, but, in fact, you decided to follow me here, it would be kind of you to stay until I am finished."

She was unsure about what to do, but after a few seconds she sighed and sat on the stool. Rumplestiltskin resumed:

"Do you remember that day in the Dark Castle, when you teared away the curtains from the windows? That's how you entered in my life. You opened a window in my heart, you gave me hope. I didn't have any. I never knew what a good and quiet life is, because I never had one. I knew I was a villain, and I was resigned to my fate: I knew that villains don't get happy endings, and I was ok with that. I was used to the darkness, the hatred, the pain. I lived in a swamp, in a dark moor, so to speak. And then you arrived, with the sunlight and the scent of flowers. You were life, life at its fullest. Do you remember? Do you remember that moment when you fell in my arms? You were so fragile, but then, so strong, so pure… I was afraid of hurting you, afraid of tarnishing your soul. So I let you go, in hopes that you would never come back. But you returned. You will never have an idea of how my heart leaped when you kissed me then. But I was so afraid… I didn't expect anyone to love me. It couldn't be possible. But then, even if it was real, I would be vulnerable, and whenever I was vulnerable, people hurt me. And then I pushed you out, I even hit you" he shivered. "I knew you would fare better being far from me. I have told you to go away so many times… I did it as a way to protect you. But no matter what, you always came back, and I always managed to hurt you again. I really, really don't understand why you have done so over and over again, but each and every time, you killed me a bit more."

Now Belle was the one who was shivering. She wanted to say something, but remembered that he had begged her to listen and not interrupt him.

"I always thought that you have discovered the man behind the beast, and, even if I couldn't understand why, you loved him. You gave me hope. But every time I hurt you, that same hope rendered me more and more hopeless. I could cope with the idea of never having my happy ending, but I couldn't bear having a foretaste and the sight of it and watch it flee farther and farther away because of my own repeated wrong choices; worse than that, I hurt those I love the most, those I should protect."

As he spoke, he picked something that looked like little white pebbles, and carefully put them into a green silk bag. At this point she realised what it was: the chipped cup. She gasped. He smirked, and then added:

"Now, you realize what this is. Do you know why I broke it? Because I needed something to cut the rope with which Merida had tied my hands: because I needed to break free to rescue you. I was a hero back then. What happened to us? That day at the well… You raised my hopes… and then you crushed me. I was a hero, I pulled Excallibur from the stone, for God's sake! But you didn't trust me. It would have been better for me if you just hadn't show up: I would have understood. But you did. And you abandoned me when I needed you most. Magic is like a crutch; I had walked for a long time with its aid, I didn't remember how to walk on my legs again. I needed my wife by my side, to help me remember, to help me rediscover how it felt again. To show me that there was nothing to be afraid of. But you abandoned me, so I took back my crutches. And what did you do then? you came back to me again. Do you know? Cora, Regina, Zelena… they didn't love me. They loved the Dark One. They knew it, and I knew it. It was somehow fair after all. But you… you… I thought you loved me. It is clear that you don't love the Dark One himself. I am starting to think that maybe you wanted the man and the beast… We are not that different after all. I want you and power… and maybe you want me and power. Even when it was not the real dagger, you used it against me; you used me for your own ends… Do you remember? You have a thirst for power Belle, like it or not. But, in the same way I cannot have power and you, you cannot have power and me. I am way too much addicted to dark magic to use it only for good. I could have stripped me of my magic, but, Would you have accepted me if I did so? I don't know."

At that point, Belle opened her mouth to answer, but he added:

"Don't, don't answer now, please, just think about it. It's all that I ask of you".

He had finished picking the pieces of the cup and was putting the bag in the pocket of his jacket.

"What are you going to do with that?" She finally asked.

"I don't know. I still have many things to figure out."

And that being said, he disappeared in a cloud of grey smoke.

Belle remained there, thinking.

"Maybe he is right." she thought. "I was afraid. He was a hero, that's true, and yet, he wasn't the man I knew. Maybe I was afraid that a life with him would be boring. I always wanted adventure, and the Dark One gave me the opportunity to be a hero, but, would I have been a hero being the wife of just Mr. Gold? I wanted him so bad to change that I didn't actually consider my life with him my happy ending."

Belle stood up and strolled through the woods thinking, until she saw Snow White at the wishing well.

"Hey, hi! What are you doing here?"

"I'm… I'm just… out for a walk" the princess sighed. "I miss my Charming so much! But, you… Are you ok? you look pale"

"I was talking with Rumple…"

Snow White gave her a concerned look.

"Did he do something to you? Because if he did…"

"No, no, he didn't" Belle cut her. "He just… I saw him crossing the town and I followed him, because I thought that he was going after our son… but, well… he was just… doing some thinking…. so… well… I listened to him. You know, he has hurt me so much… but I have never stopped to think that maybe I have hurt him too."

"No, you didn't"

"Yes, yes, I did. No, please, listen to me. He told me again and again to go away, and I always came back. That was my fault"

"But you did it because you loved him and wanted him to be happy. That's not wrong"

"Well, I know, but even if he wanted me for the sake of his own happiness, he wanted me to be happy, so he shut me out over and over again… because he didn't want to hurt me. He convinced himself every time that it was for the best, he made the sacrifice and then I rendered it redundant"

Tears started to flow from Belle's eyes. Snow just listened to her speechless. After a few seconds that felt like ages, she said:

"Well, but if he had got rid of his magic, he wouldn't have hurt you, and both would have been happy."

Belle groaned, and Snow White stared at her, startled by her reaction.

"But he _was_ a hero and I rejected him. I failed him when he needed me by his side the most, the only time he was magicless, I abandoned him."

"When was that?"

"Do you remember when he pulled Excallibur from the stone? Before he went to duel Hook, he told me that he was willing to stay away from magic, that he wanted to start again; and that if he survived and I wanted to be with him, he would wait for me here; that if I didn't show up, he would understand. And I came, but I abandoned him. I was afraid. I didn't understand until now that I wanted him to be powerful and good; I had never pictured myself being the wife of Mr. Gold, the spinner and pawnbroker; I wanted to be the wife of a knight in shining armor. I wanted it all, and it's not possible. I was a fool. I wish I could turn the clock back."

Snow White hugged her with tears in her eyes.

"You know what? let's take some water from the well and go back to town. Maybe we can get back something we have lost, even if it is only the hope."

Belle nodded, and they filled two little bottles with the water of the well, and returned to the town.


	2. Back To The Start

When they arrived, they found out that another threat was placed upon them. A mysterious messenger had dropped an envelope at Regina's doorstep. There was an obscure note attached to it:

"Time is running out. The last petal of the enchanted rose is about to fall."

There was also a piece of paper that looked like one of the pages of Henry's book. On one side it had the depiction of what looked like a bleak winter scene; on the other, the following:

"A cold, brightless sun rose on the horizon. the grass, the green leaves and the flowers were gone. It was cold. Nobody remembered those they once loved. Magic was gone, hope was gone, trust was gone, love was gone, forever".

Regina and Emma had come to the conclusion that if something, whatever it was, didn't happen before dawn, this new curse would come over the town and all them would starve to death, without even the comfort of the affection of their loved ones. They spent the whole afternoon and the early night trying to find a way to break the curse, in vain. There was nothing in the books they had, nor their experience, that could give them a clue of what could be the thing they needed, and they finally resigned themselves to their fate, and tried to make the best of the last moments they had before everything became irreversible.

Mr. Gold was spinning in his shop when the doorbell ringed. He sighed. _This heroes will never give up._  

But when he raised his head, his eyes found Belle standing in front of him.

"No. Please. Belle. Don't."

He stood up, took his cane and started walking towards the front door.

"Rumple, wait!"

He stopped, and not even looking at her, said:

"We have only a few hours before this curse becomes permanent. Don't waste them with me. I can't bear to hurt you now."

"But you won't. You don't have time enough." 

A subtle smile appeared on his face.

"And… I want to see the stars by the last time. And I thought that maybe you would like to do so too. Just… for good old times sake."

He said nothing, but opened the door and gestured towards the street with his hand, following her once she was out.

Thick clouds were starting to take over the sky, and all the grass and the shrubs on the streets had a sickly yellowish hue to them. Pongo's howl could be heard echoing through the empty streets. The air was chilly, but deadly quiet. Belle took sit on a bench, and Rumple sat by her side.

"Do you think we'd be able to forgive each other if we had time enough?" he asked.

"I don't know."

They remained in silence for a long time. The air seemed more clear, announcing that the twilight was near. Belle took out a little bottle from her bag.

"Thirsty?" He smirked. "We don't have any glass to toast."

"Are you sure? What's in your pocket?"

Mr. Gold's lips quivered for a second, as he took out the bag with the shards of the cup. With a simple movement of his hand, the piece of china reapered whole again in his hand. As she poured the liquid in it, Belle started singing in a low voice, with a smile:

"Water gleam and glow, let your power shine…"

The trembling voice of Mr. Gold joined hers:

"make the clock reverse. Heal what has been hurt, change the fate's design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine"

They looked at each other with shining eyes. She drinked first, then he. No one said anything, but the gazes were communicating silently a message of sorrow and forgiveness.

"I can't believe this will be our last sunrise. I didn't want this to end this way for you." Belle finally said.

"Nor I, for you." Rumple answered with a strange glow in his eyes, and then, looking her deep into the eyes, offered her his hand and asked:

"Care to dance with a would-be poor spinner and pawnbroker?"

A sudden realization struck her, and her blue eyes sparkled. It was her second chance to do things right. She was willing to sacrifice herself. She took his hand and there they went dancing a sweet waltz in the middle of the street.

They were getting closer and closer to each other, to the point that their faces were almost touching. Suddenly he stopped, and putting his hands on her shoulders, gave her an earnest and concerned look:

"Belle, you know that spell, you know what it can do. Are you sure you want this? I don't want you to do something you will regret. I won't pull back this time."

She looked him deep into the eyes, and with a sudden movement she put her arms around his neck and kissed him. A ray of golden light touched their faces: the sun was raising over the horizon. A blow with all the colors of the rainbow sprung from them and crossed the town, with the strength of a hurricane and the softness of a caress at the same time. As the sun started touching here and there, everything started to blossom again, sparkling joyfully. The haunting silence was broken with the sound of one thousand chords played by the sweet voice of nature, and a soft wind dispelled the clouds.

At first he was surprised by the kiss, but then, he gave himself to the kiss. He felt his curse fighting to survive, scratching and squeaking, and then the voices on his head slowly fading. A pang on his leg made him hold tight to Belle to avoid falling. A wide smile sprung in her wet face as she looked at him and wiped his tears with her thumb. The miracle had happened: he had sacrificed himself for her, and she for him. They have had their true love's kiss.

Mr. Gold's hands were shaking when he loosened the hold of the hug, but Belle squeezed them in hers.

"I will never ever leave you again. I love you".

Two big tears rolled by Mr. Gold's cheeks.

"And now, let's go and find our son" he said, offering her his arm.

"But... How?" she asked, accepting his offering.

"You have no magic now."

"We do, sweetheart. We have the most powerful magic of all. We have true love."

And they started walking arm in arm towards the shop.

Snow White's sigh brought everyone on the window of her flat to reality. Emma gasped:

"That's it. A true love kiss can break any curse. How could I be so blind?!"

And running to her parents bedroom, she bent over her sleeping father. Snow White and the others arrived just on time to see her kiss the prince's forehead. In a blink of an eye another rainbowy blow swept over them and Snow White's husband was awake, looking at his wife and his daughter and telling them how much he loved them, kissing them, hugging them and plaguing them with questions.

Meanwhile, Rumple and Belle had arrived to the shop. He opened the door for her and snapping his fingers, turned the lights on.

"Oh! You switched to audiorythmic lights!"

He looked at her confused:

"No, I didn't."

Alarmed, she pulled his dagger from his jacket's pocket. She could see that his name had disappeared from it, and in a split second it turned into dust and vanished in the air. They looked at each other in shock.

"Then, how…?" Belle finally managed to say.

"I don't know."

He made a gesture with his hand and a red cloud of smoke appeared on his hand, to be gone the next instant. He closed his eyes in concentration. A bigger cloud formed, and the chipped cup, that they had left at the bench, was now in his hand. Belle stared at it.

After some silent seconds, he said:

"Belle, Do you know what true love is?"

"Of course, the most powerful magic there is, you just said it."

"Do you have any idea as to why it is so?" He asked again, a smirk glowing in his face, that made her remember his Dark Castle self. It seemed that it was a part of him, not a consequence of the curse. She liked that.

"Love is the source of all light magic," he continued "because it is the source of all hope, trust, courage… and life." he carefully put the chipped cup on the counter "That's the only thing dark magic can't do: bring forth life."

"But no magic can bring back the dead."

"Well, human souls are special. I was thinking of a much simpler test."

Another hand gesture and a white box, with beautiful golden decorations, popped beside the chipped cup.

"I know that box" Belle said with a sad look in her eyes.

He opened it and took a bouquet of dried white roses with his left hand. Closing his eyes, he passed his right hand over it. The flowers blossomed with new life, and their scent filled the room. He offered her the bouquet with an air of archness in the gesture, and she chuckled, remembering a similar scene at the Dark Castle, many years ago. She accepted it, smiling mischiefly and making an exaggerated courtesy.

"Well, I think this answers the question," she said, after smelling the fragrance of the roses.

"There's something more I have to do now," he replied, healing his leg.

Belle looked at him with curiosity. He bent his knee, and started saying:

"If you want, with this hand, I will lift your sorrows."

Her eyes were filling with tears.

"Your cup will never be empty."

And both said at the same time:

"for I will be your wine."

"With this candle, I will light your way in darkness," she recited, remembering the vows she had read many years ago in that old book.

He pulled a little box from his pocket, and opening it, finished:

"With this ring, I ask you to be mine."

The ring. It was that ring, the same ring he had put on her finger that unforgettable night of their wedding, the same ring she had taken off and put into the white box when she banished him from Storybrooke, that was sparkling under the lights of the shop. She said nothing, but offered him her hand. He put the ring on one of her fingers and gazed her with that gaze of deep love she had missed so much.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him up swiftly.

"Aren't you going to kiss the bride, Mr. Gold?"

He touched her nose and forehead with his own, and then, opening his eyes wide, and with a playful grin said in a whisper:

"I can also turn you into a toad, Mrs. Gold."

She chuckled, and putting her arms around his neck, looked him into the eyes. Some things never change, and she was glad it was that way. Both knew that finding their son wouldn't be easy, but they were sure that they would do everything they could. Both knew that their love would sustain them through all the hardships they would surely face. This thing they had… it was messy, it was hard, but it was totally worth it, every single part of it. And with this conviction, they lost themselves in a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The enchantment Mr. Gold and Belle recite before drinking the water from the wishing well evokes the Healing Song from Tangled. The vows of Mr. Gold proposal are taken from Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (I'm working with the premise that that story is fairly known in the Enchanted Forest and that Belle read it during her time as a maid in the Dark Castle).


End file.
